Behind Cold Metal
by GenericDude
Summary: After Samus is captured by Meta Ridley, the hesitation to kill each other soon turns into an emotion that the two of them would have never expected. SamusxMeta Ridley. Rated T for some minor swearing and agnsty situations. Please R
1. Chapter 1

Behind Cold Metal

Chapter 1: Defeat

The two had been battling for at least thirty minutes in the pouring rain. Missiles had been fired, fire had been breathed and plenty of destruction had been brought down on the land. It was the usual fight, Samus versus Ridley, or in this case, Meta Ridley, with all of his upgrades on his metal exoskeleton. But even after pulling the slyest of tricks and the most powerful weapons, Meta Ridley was about to suffer another defeat.

Samus cornered Meta Ridley and aimed her arm cannon right at his face.

"Samus...there's no need to go this far..." Meta Ridley said, trying to reason with Samus. He was standing at the edge of a cliff, and his wings were too damaged to fly. His plea didn't reach Samus.

"I don't care how much you beg, grovel, plead or cry, I'm going to finally finish you off, right here, right now!" Samus shouted.

"Samus...please...reason with me Samus...don't do it!!!" Meta Ridley pleaded. He felt fear grow inside him as he saw a beam of light appear from within Samus's arm cannon. She was charging up.

"I'll kill you...no matter what...to avenge my parents!" she said. "One more Super Missile should do it..." she said.

"No!!! Don't! I don't want to die!!!" Meta Ridley pleaded. He even put his hands together, becoming hysterical. Samus loved every moment of it.

"Ready?" she said, about to fire a Super Missile into Meta Ridley's jaw.

"No!! No!!! Noooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!" Meta Ridley screamed. Then, he broke inside. He suddenly broke down in a shower of tears and halved in size as he bent down and hid his head. "Don't kill me!!! Please!!!! I'm sorry for everything!!! Waaaaaahhhh!!!!!"

Samus had never seen Meta Ridley do this. Usually, Meta Ridley would get seriously beaten up, then recover and come back for more. But was this a trick? Samus hesitated slightly, and it was a bad mistake. She didn't know that Meta Ridley was faking it, even though he was actually crying. The split second she didn't attack was the same split second Meta Ridley quickly lunged at Samus and punched her across the face, knocking her unconscious with some shot.

Meta Ridley then stood up and looked at Samus, lying on the floor. He wiped his tears, a little startled at how much he got into his acting, faking defeat.

"...I...I win?" he thought. He picked up Samus and put his thumb across her chest. He could feel a faint heartbeat within the Power Suit she was wearing.

"...She's not dead..." he thought. "That won't do. I'm going to kill her now..." He picked up Samus with one hand and opened his mouth, about to bite her head off. But before he bit down, just as his teeth scraped against her helmet, he suddenly thought of something.

He hesitated, just like Samus did.

"Am I going to actually kill her? Just like this?" he thought. "...That's a little...boring, I guess. Maybe later...but what do I do?" he thought. The rain poured down harder on his wounds. Meta Ridley knew he couldn't stay long. He needed to call for a ship to carry him away.

"...I'll take her back to the Pirate Homeworld and I'll decide what to do when I'm all healed up" he thought. Decided on his course of action, he called for a Pirate frigate to pick him up from the cliff's edge and take him back to the Pirate Homeworld HQ.


	2. Chapter 2

Behind Cold Metal

Chapter 2: In Captivity

She slowly felt feeling coming back to her. She slowly opened her eyes to see the familiar lens. But through it, all she saw were bleak colours and a figure of Meta Ridley standing, his arms crossed, laughing quietly.

She suddenly jumped to her feet and pointed her arm cannon at him. She looked and saw not an arm cannon, but a hand, before she was grabbed by four large arms and hauled back. She recognized the hands, they belonged to Space Pirates.

"Lively today, huh?" Meta Ridley. "I'm afraid you are in no position to be fighting right now" Samus, who was still tired from just coming to, gathered her breath.

"Where...is my arm cannon!?" she shouted wearily. As Meta Ridley laughed, Samus looked around to find herself in an uncomfortable cell with large bars barring exit, colourless brown walls, a dirty toilet and a metal panel sticking out of the wall with a worn pillow on it.

"I wouldn't bother trying to attack me in any way. Me or my minions. I de-augmented your Power Suit of all of its weapons. You are weapon less, but I let you have the shell of that worthless Power Suit for your own convenience." Meta Ridley explained.

"Where the hell am I..." Samus uttered.

"This is your cell" Meta Ridley said. "And for location, we are in none other than my own abode within the Pirate Homeworld, the headquarters of pain, my castle!!!" he announced, waving his hands. "And you are my special guest. Guards, anesthetize her and lock her up. Don't bother trying to escape, you have no weapons and your visors have been taken away as well" he said.

"Why didn't you kill me?!" Samus exclaimed, life suddenly flowing within her. Meta Ridley became quiet for a second before answering.

"...I haven't decided exactly what to do with you. Killing you without seeing you beg for mercy isn't fun, so I'll be keeping you here in captivity while I decide on what I shall be doing with you. Guards, anesthetize this woman at once. No one will have to stand guard, the cell is 100% inescapable" he said. Samus started to shout and swear, but one of the Pirates holding her grabbed a needle and injected it into her neck through the plating. Samus became limp a few seconds after injection before being thrown on her tacky bed and locking her within the cell.


	3. Chapter 3

Behind Cold Metal

Chapter 3: Lost Within the Mind

A day had passed since Samus had been taken into captivity and Meta Ridley had decided to keep her alive until further plans were made. He sat in his throne room, with a view of the Pirate Homeworld and it's never ending stretch of metal on the horizon never ending (Uh...that was a shit description).

Meta Ridley was trying to realize why he didn't just kill Samus. Most of him thought that there would have been no fun or challenge in it, but a small fraction of his mind started to look for a different reason.

"...I can't put my mind on it..." he thought. "I want to think it would be no fun...but I know that's not completely true...so why?" he thought. At that moment, a Pirate walked in.

"Sir" he said as he walked in.

"Give me the report on Samus's condition" Meta Ridley asked.

"She has woken from the anaesthetic. She is receiving leftovers of the Pirates food, which is distributed into breakfast, lunch and supper cycles. There isn't much for her to eat and the water she drinks...has no guarantee of being clean" he explained.

"Very good. At least she is not comfortable. Back to your post grunt" he said. The Pirate saluted before walking back out to leave Meta Ridley to contemplate his thoughts and process then twice and thrice again.

Samus, on the other hand, was disgusted with the food, but had no choice but to eat it. She was surprised to find that it agreed with her digestive system, although the water tasted sour. She realised the food she was eating would ruin her shape, so as soon as she finished heating each of her meals, she started to work out, doing push ups, sit ups, squats, and everything else she could do to stay in shape (and at the same time make sure her gymnastics were at peak condition). There was no way she could escape from her cell, so she thought she would just have to make do with what she had.

But she still didn't understand why she was alive. She had the feeling that a torrent of torturing sessions would be coming, but luckily for her, Meta Ridley had other plans...

As soon as Samus had finished her supper, still in her Power Suit, she started to work out again until Meta Ridley appeared at the cell door, holding a large crossbow.

"If you try to escape, I'll impale you" he said. Samus had the temptation at once to run right out of the door as soon as Meta Ridley opened it, but the crossbow was big, and with all her Energy Tanks and such taken away from her, she would be killed instantly. She sat down on her bed, crossing her arms. Meta Ridley walked in and locked the door before pulling out a chair that Samus didn't see and sit down on it.

"...I could kill you right now Samus...you're fully aware of that" he said. Samus gave him the silent treatment and said nothing. Meta Ridley picked up on this and slapped her with his large metal hand. Samus grunted and fell off the bed, getting up slowly.

"Answer me when I speak to you!" he commanded. He was hoping that watching Samus suffer would destroy his second thought and convince him to enjoy her pain. But as he slapped Samus again, he didn't feel any entertainment. He sighed and sat down for a second as Samus got back up to her bed, bitter and about to unleash harsh words upon Meta Ridley.

"...The silent treatment...fine then. Be that way. I will decide whether I will torture you in three days time. Until then, enjoy your stay, you wretch" he said, standing up and kicking the chair at her. She dodged it, just like she dodged all of Meta Ridley's weapons in the past. Meta Ridley aimed the crossbow and carefully left her cell before locking it, giving her one more look and walking back to his throne room, wondering why he didn't get any enjoyment out of hurting Samus, when she was most vulnerable.


	4. Chapter 4

Behind Cold Metal

Chapter 4: Trying to Reason

On the third day of captivity, Samus was doing her press ups again, her figure and health somehow not getting affected by the foods she was given and the low quality water she forced herself to drink. Once again, Meta Ridley did the same entrance, crossbow and all, and sat down on his stool. He was ready to give his judgement of the torture prospect. Samus decided to do the silent treatment as Meta Ridley started to talk.

"...I have thought hard about my decision" he said. Samus said nothing.

"...I will not torture you now" he said. Samus felt some sort of relief. Even though she had seen worse, without any Energy Tanks, being slapped by Meta Ridley felt like getting hit by a moving brick wall. But Meta Ridley had something else to say.

"...But this doesn't mean that I will be letting you be for the day. I have other plans" he said. "I am inviting you to join me on a solo reconnaissance mission to the mountains of Ether, not very far away from here" he said. Samus couldn't just sit there and listen any longer.

"I'll never join you, mission or not!" she suddenly shouted.

"Listen Samus, I can terminate you right here if I wanted to! You will learn who you are speaking to!" Meta Ridley shouted. He suddenly raised his hand and was about to give Samus the hardest slap he had ever given. But he suddenly hesitated. Those strange thoughts were coming back.

"Argh...I...why do I feel like this? I don't when ever I'm somewhere else....what is wrong with me! I've wanted to kill this woman for so long...why am I not doing it! Why...why do I feel a sense of guilt???" he thought to himself. His arm dropped limp and his other hand rubbed his metal face.

"...I will ask you again..." Meta Ridley said.

"Go to hell, you son of a..." Samus said. But before she could give Meta Ridley a piece of her mind, Meta Ridley snapped again.

"Shut up!!!" he shouted. He blotted Samus's last word and she fell silent. Suddenly, she looked rather submissive.

"You are unwilling..." Meta Ridley said. "...I will ask you again tomorrow. Just remember, there's more to life that this cell. You're stuck with me, so make the most of what I give to you. You're very lucky that I don't demand respect" he said. "Although at this stage, the way you treat me...I deserve all the respect in the world" he added.

"You'll get no respect or sympathy from me" Samus said. "You're nothing but a...a..." she said. But she hesitated. She started to think.

"...Why doesn't he kill me right now?" she thought. "...I don't understand. He's never like this. Perhaps....maybe I'll grill him tomorrow. I've given him enough of my mind today...I guess. Perhaps I'll feel better tomorrow..." she thought. She stayed silent. Meta Ridley stood to his feet.

"I'll ask tomorrow. Consider my request" he said. He then left the cell, a little less cautious this time. For some reason, Samus didn't try and escape. Just like Meta Ridley, she too was also second thinking...


	5. Chapter 5

Behind Cold Metal

Chapter 5: Contemplation

The whole hesitation business wasn't sitting well with the Space Pirates. Many thought Meta Ridley was losing it.

"Haven't you heard that Meta Ridley's not killing Samus?" one said.

"Why?" said another.

"Dunno. Maybe he's in love"

"Dude, that's sick. She a human. Humans are twisted creatures, unlike us"

"I know. What would drive our master to act like this?"

"Dunno. It's a rumour. It could be all untrue"

"Yeah...maybe he's saving her for later"

"That's more like it. Now you're thinking like the master himself!"

It was rumours like these that Meta Ridley despised, and the following day after hearing a report on these rumours, he instantly clamped down on it in a large conference outside his castle. He stood out on his balcony, above all the Space Pirates outside and demanded many things. But during his speech, he added one comment.

"If any rumours about me begin to circulate, I will terminate the person who created that rumour and severely penalize anyone who thinks that it is true!" he stated, during his speech. This eliminated all rumours for quite some time, giving Meta Ridley a lot of time to think.

Walking into Samus's cell again, he sat down and took a deep breath.

"Well, a day has passed. Will you join me on my recon mission?" he asked. Samus had been thinking of the opportunity, and knew what she wanted.

"On one condition" she said.

"...You think you're in a position to bargain with me?" Meta Ridley said quietly, trying not to lose his temper.

"Do you want me to join you or not?" she asked. Meta Ridley sighed and became frustrated with himself, before looking grumpy.

"Fine then, what's the condition?" he said quickly.

"You give me all my weapons back" she said. Meta Ridley's eyes opened wide.

"...Out of the question Samus. How can I trust you won't attempt to kill me when I return your things?" Meta Ridley said. Samus needed to trick Meta Ridley into giving her weapons back, and she knew what to do.

"You're awfully calm Ridley..." she said.

"Excuse me???"

"I said you're awfully calm. I thought you'd be throwing that chair at me again..."

"Don't you dare speak to me like that!"

"Oh...I'm sorry"

"What?"

"Can I have my weapons? Please?"

"Samus! I demand silence!"

"Please??"

"Nnngg......." Meta Ridley suddenly felt a sense of submission come over him. Even though Samus felt disgusted to be talking to her most hated enemy in this fashion, she had to, for the better. She gave him the cutest please she could and Meta Ridley grabbed his head.

"Fine!!! Fine!!!" he screamed. "You can have your bloody weapons back!!!" he shouted. Then, he went right up to her face, so close, he could see Samus's eyes through her visor.

"But just get this clear, you little runt!" he snarled. "If you show any resistance towards me during this trip, I will kill you! I will gouge your eyes out, impale you, burn you, drown you and defile your body in such a way that even my minions would think I had gone too far!!! Do you understand me!!! I will not let you out of my sight!!!" he demanded. Samus felt a little angry, but she also felt a little scared. She had never seen Meta Ridley so aggressive before, and Meta Ridley could just see a tear falling from one of her eyes as he looked through the lens. At once, he turned his back and stomped out of the cell, leaving Samus by herself.


	6. Chapter 6

Behind Cold Metal

Chapter 6: Trip to Ether

Usually, Meta Ridley would fly to the places he would go, but when he had a companion, he travelled in his new jet fighter that he had for his birthday a few months ago. It was in prime condition and was like a large version of Samus's gunship, one that could hold some of Meta Ridley's size. Meta Ridley had to let Samus sit in the passenger seat as he drove to Ether. Not a word was spoken during the trip.

Ether was a planet with many hills and trees. The sky was white and the vegetation was good. Why Meta Ridley wanted to do a recon mission here was beyond Samus's knowledge, but she dared not to ask. As the ship landed, Ridley got out and started to walk.

"If you fall behind, then tough" he said. "You won't be able to beat the lock on my ship, so by getting lost, you'll be stranded here forever. Understand?" he said.

"...This is a beautiful planet..." she said.

"Are you even listening to me??" Meta Ridley said loudly.

"Oh!...Uh, yeah" she said. "Follow you and all that..." Meta Ridley looked at Samus for a few seconds before trudging off. Samus had no choice but to follow.

As they went deeper into a forest, Samus caught sight of a river that was flowing. As Meta Ridley went on, Samus decided to ask a question.

"Meta Ridley?" she asked.

"What do you want?" Meta Ridley asked in his usual grumpy voice,

"...That river looks great. Can I have a drink?" she asked. Meta Ridley would have turned around and yelled 'no' in her face, but as he turned around, he noticed she was fully armed, and the last thing he wanted to do was get into another fight with Samus, running the risk of losing it again.

"...Ugh...fine" he said. Samus then walked to the bank and took her helmet off. But Meta Ridley, who was watching, felt his heart skip a beat as soon as he saw Samus's blonde hair. His eyes opened wide, and he almost gasped, but he shook his head.

"What am I doing??? Knock it off Ridley!" he thought to himself. "She's the enemy...but...she's got some nice hair there...I wish I had hair" he thought. Samus had finished drinking and then put the helmet back on. Meta Ridley did not see her face at all, and she turned back around.

"Ahh...I feel much better" she said. "...Uh...thank you" she quickly said, hesitantly.

"Don't mention it. Now hurry up, let's go" Meta Ridley said quickly, stomping off in some general direction. Samus thought for a second.

"He didn't yell at me..." she thought. "He's gotten a little kinder..."


	7. Chapter 7

Behind Cold Metal

Chapter 7: Meta Ridley's Wound

They had been walking for an hour through these woods. Samus's curiosity got the better of her, and in the end, she just had to ask the question.

"Um...why are we walking around like this for? Where are we going?" she asked.

"I don't know" Meta Ridley said. "Just walking"

"But you said this was a recon mission"

"I know. I lied"

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to walk. Get some exercise"

Samus could see that he was lying. It was true, Meta Ridley had brought Samus to Ether for a completely different reason. Meta Ridley, who had calmed a little, was about to talk until the bushes rustled.

Samus instantly turned and shot a missile at the bush. It was just a small bio-form, but because Samus hadn't seen some action ina few days, her impulse was to shoot, and because she hadn't locked onto anything, her aiming wasn't exactly perfect, and it hit a tree instead. Meta Ridley turned around.

"What are you doing!?!" he shouted. Samus turned to Meta Ridley, then saw that the tree was falling over, and Meta Ridley happened to be in the trajectory of the trunk, about to crush him. Had Samus not been captured in the first place, she would have seen this as an opportunity to kill Meta Ridley, but again, her gut reaction activated.

"Meta Ridley, look out!" she shouted. Meta Ridley looked up and jumped, but the tree fell too fast and struck Meta Ridley's arm, trapping it against the ground. Meta Ridley let out a scream.

"Eeeeaaaaaaarrggh!!!!!" he screamed. "My arm!!!! My arm!!!! Help me!!!!!!!" he shouted. Samus, had she not been tricked and captured by Meta Ridley from the beginning, would have laughed her arse off at this scene, but instead, she suddenly felt worried. She charged up her beam.

"Duck!" she shouted. Then, she fired a Super Missile at the tree, blowing it apart and freeing Meta Ridley's arm in the process. Meta Ridley fell a few steps back, yelling and holding his crushed left arm. He then stood still and looked at Samus. Samus thought a little before deciding to ask him a certain question.

"...Are...are you okay?" she asked. She never imagined she would say this, but she did. Ever since she was captured, she had developed some sort of feeling for Meta Ridley.

"Urgh...my arm...it's crushed...." he said. "We need to return....to my ship so I....can head back and.....repair myself....aahhh....." he said. Then, he realized he needed two arms to drive his ship. "Ah...damn. I need two arms to drive..." Samus had the feeling she needed to help if she wanted to leave.

"Give me your arm" she said.

"What?" Meta Ridley asked.

"Just give it to me!" Meta Ridley dropped his arm to the ground and Samus walked up to it. She could see that the joints that operated his hand had been severed, rendering his hand useless. But Samus had a piece of tech that could fix it.

A spike came out of the arm cannon and a spark emitted from it.

"This will hurt, so get ready" she said. Then, she grabbed one end of the severed joint and pulled it to the other side. She could hear Meta Ridley grunting in pain as she tugged it. But as soon as the two joints were close enough, she melded it, before the spike retracted and a second came out, this time blowing icy cold air onto the joint, freezing it and fixing it. She did this to the other two joints that were broken before her job was finished.

"That should do it..." she said, stepping back. Meta Ridley moved his hand about.

"...It hurts...but it's still operational. Good work" he said. Then, he had the feeling to say something else. Something he had never said to anyone in his life before.

"...Thank you" he said. But he looked up and saw that Samus was already far ahead, walking back for the ship.

"...Dammit!" Meta Ridley said to himself, before catching up to her.


	8. Chapter 8

Behind Cold Metal

Chapter 8: The Return

Upon returning, the two went to Samus's cell, where they walked in. Meta Ridley grabbed his key and looked at his hand.

"I will have to have this hand fixed" he said. "You will reside here. I am thinking of re-accommodating you to a slightly higher classed cell" he said.

"What?" Samus asked.

"...Just think of it as a reward for fixing my hand. Although it isn't a perfect job, it got us home. You will move tomorrow" he said. Then, he started for the exit, when Samus stood up.

"Should I de-augment myself?" she asked. Meta Ridley stood still for a few seconds. Did he trust her enough? He knew the cell was inescapable.

"...Nah, keep them" he said. "You can't escape anyway. It'll be a waste of time. Good night Samus" he said before locking her door and walking out with haste.

Samus looked down and thought for a second.

"What am I doing?" she thought. "This is the thing that killed my parents! And I'm treating him much better than I should! But...why does treating him like filth seem wrong all of a sudden? I don't get it....he's my enemy! I wanted to kill him so badly...but now I don't. I...I don't get it...I must be going crazy. Perhaps it's the food..."

As Meta Ridley sat at his throne, technicians repairing his hand, he thought something of the same. Even though they were worst enemies, there seemed to be some sort of bond growing between them. A bond that would soon mutate into something much bigger.


	9. Chapter 9

Behind Cold Metal

Chapter 9: Higher Accommodation

The following morning, Meta Ridley walked into Samus's cage to see her sleeping.

"...Samus..." he said. "Wake up Samus. Your sleeping time's up" he said. Samus begun to wake up, yawning and stretching her arms.

"Ugh....I never sleep this late..." she said to herself. "....Have I overslept?"

"Yes, you have" Meta Ridley said. "But that is not the important topic right now. I said yesterday that I would accommodate you to a higher classed cell" Samus remembered the offer, and suddenly realized that she had to find out why.

"Meta Ridley...why are you doing this? I'm your worst enemy, and you're treating me much better than you should. I guess the same applies for me in a way..." she said. Meta Ridley started to think to himself.

"Ugh...she's realized" he thought to himself. "I can't let her know why. But she hasn't been killing me either. She's fully augmented, so why doesn't she kill me right here?" he thought.

"Um...let's not get carried away here. Follow me" he said. He then stood up and walked out of the cell. Samus started to follow him.

Samus took the time to scan her surroundings and try to etch out a map of the area with her mapping system. If only there was a map station, she thought. But she was surprised at how Meta Ridley knew where he was going, through twisting corridors and such. But he arrived at a large door and stopped.

"Oh no..." he said quietly. He didn't expect Samus to hear him.

"What's wrong now?" she asked. Meta Ridley cursed himself for being too loud.

"...Listen, I need you to do me a favour" he said.

"Favour? Why would I do that?" Samus asked again.

"Just do it, please" he said. Samus sighed and looked down.

"What is it then?" she asked.

"I need you to look weak and vulnerable. Plus, I need to drag you across the floor as we go through this room" he said.

"What for?" she asked again.

"My minions, the Space Pirates, if they see you walking beside me, and not belittled, then they will judge me and think that I've grown soft. I know you would not do a favour for the Space Pirates, but my image is very important here. If it falters, my life is pretty much ruined. I cannot stand the thought of a revolt" he said. He then turned around. "It's a lot to ask, but will you do this favour for me?" he asked. Samus looked down and thought for a second.

"I don't like the idea of getting dragged on the floor by you" she said. Meta Ridley felt frustration build inside him. Samus was about to refuse, but she thought deeply and decided to go with her heart instead of her mind.

"...If I pretend to look out cold, and you carry me across your shoulder, then I'll do it" she said. It wasn't Meta Ridley's idea of making Samus look small, but it would have to do.

"...Fair enough. But I expect a favour returned here" he said.

"I already have, half-brain" she said. "I could just walk behind you, looking all sweet and pretty and damage your image, in which..." she said.

"Fine, fine! Enough already, I'll carry you..." he said. "Hop up on my shoulder. You'd better look damaged, or else" he said. Samus said nothing as she climbed up onto Meta Ridley and lied down. She looked as limp as she could.

"Good enough for you? She asked.

"It'll do. Now remember, not a word" Meta Ridley said. Then, he opened the door and started to walk through the large hall, where a mass of Space Pirates cheered as he walked through. Meta Ridley gave his usual waves, but there was a quick pace in his step as he rushed to reach to the other side of the open roof hall, where his large, ten storey tower stood, high above the rest of the metal castle.

Upon walking to the door, he entered a password and opened the door inside. He walked to the elevator and closed its doors.

"All clear. Now get off of me" he said. Samus sat up and jumped off Meta Ridley.

"Well, they fell for it" she said.

"Of course they did. Now, your cell is on floor two. I am on floor ten, just for your knowledge" he said. Then, he thought a little again.

"Why'd I just tell her what floor I was on? I really feel weird right now..." he thought. The elevator begun to move upwards into the tower's heart.


	10. Chapter 10

Behind Cold Metal

Chapter 10: Second Recon Mission

Samus had gotten used to her slightly better cell for the rest of the day. Unlike the other cell, there was a clean mattress on the bed and a clean pillow. The toilet was slightly cleaner (but still dirty) and there was a mirror and sink basin next to it. Her food hadn't changed though. Luckily, her water had, for some reason, the water in Meta Ridley's tower was perfectly clean and sterilized, so at least there was some sort of improvement.

She still hadn't been removed from her weapons, but the bars of her cell were bigger and stronger, so she still couldn't escape. But for some reason, she had the feeling she didn't want to escape. She was thinking when Meta Ridley walked in again.

"How are you enjoying your new cell?" he asked upon walking in.

"It's okay..." Samus said quickly.

"I'm going to cut to the chase here. I'm going on another recon mission. I won't force you to join me this time, but if you feel like coming along, then tell me now" he said. Samus started to think carefully.

"Free will? I'd never imagine Meta Ridley was capable of granting such a thing..." she thought. "I could join him again...but if so, I have to find out why"

"Why do you want me to come along?" she asked.

"Uh...no particular reason" Meta Ridley answered.

"Come on, tell me"

"Why should I?"

"Because it's stupid, making me spend time with you for no reason. Why do you want my company so bad???"

"Urk...dammit...uh...I can still terminate you, you know..."

"Come on, what's to hide? Are you scared?"

"I am Meta Ridley! I'm never scared! I laugh in the face of fear!"

"So what's there to fear? Tell me!"

"It's not fear, it's...authority"

"What?"

"You do not have a high enough authority to find out why. Maybe later, I'll tell you"

"...Well, this is new"

"Enough of this. Just tell me, do you want to join me, or do you want to spend the day in this cell?"

"Well, if I stay in the cell, I could get my full three courses for the day"

"...Oh...I guess there might be something to eat on Ether..."

"What, you're gonna bring more Pirate leftovers for us?"

"Stop it! I'm talking about natural produce!"

"Natural produce? What, like the dirty water I've been having for the past week?"

"If you do not answer my request, I'll demote you back to your crappy cell again!"

"Alright, I'm coming!!!"

The two stood there, staring at each other, panting for breath after their rather heated, but also comical argument. Meta Ridley hated being one under a woman. He felt it rather demoting to be under such a thumb.

"...We leave now. You must learn to watch your tongue. In my world, a tongue like that will earn you a painful death penalty" he said, walking out of the cell. "My ship is a few floors up. Come with me"

Samus enjoyed getting the better of Meta Ridley. It was one thing beating him or belittling him during battle, but it was another thing beating him in an argument. She felt somewhat stronger and decided to follow Meta Ridley to his ship, where they flew to Ether again for the second time.


	11. Chapter 11

Sorry this one took so long, was on holiday so I didn't have any way of uploading this next chapter.

Behind Cold Metal

Chapter 11: Unidentifiable Emotion

They landed in a different place this time, by a cliff that led into the forest, where the barks on the trees were white and the trees themselves stretched tall into the sky. Meta Ridley walked and turned to see Samus scanning things again.

"We shall have to eat soon" he said. "First, we find a suitable place to rest. I will go look for food" he said. Samus said nothing as the two walked into the woods.

Half an hour into their trip, Meta Ridley stopped nearby the river they passed last time and stopped.

"Here shall suffice" he said. "Um...Samus, can I ask you something?" he asked.

"What now?" Samus said, rather impatiently.

"...What would your thoughts be if....if I suggested we stay the night down here?" he said. Samus felt a little strange upon hearing the request.

"Why is he doing this? Why won't he just tell me?" she asked herself. "...He did say in time he'd tell me. But how long?"

"Uh...okay" she said.

"Splendid" Meta Ridley said. "Stay here and go forage for some wood. Start a fire and wait for me to return with food. I know of an animal on this planet whose flesh tastes like the meat of gods" he said. He then roared and jumped into the air, taking flight before breaking through the leaves and flying off into the distance. Samus looked up at the air for a second, shook her head and started to look for some good wood.

Three hours had passed and Meta Ridley came back down to the old spot with a large, koala shaped animal in his hand. There were bite marks in its neck, indicating Meta Ridley caused it. He landed and saw that Samus had gathered a lot of wood and had even built a roaster out of the tough, durable wood.

"I see you have done a sufficient job of constructing a fireplace" he said. "And there is plenty of wood to keep a fire going all night. I commend your job" he said. He then grabbed a large metal rod from his wing and impaled the animal before setting it on the roaster. He then opened his chest plate and fumbled inside him. A small click was heard and he brought out a small box with a cog on the outside of it. He set it so the spinning cog turned the stick, and the animal with it. He opened his mouth and was about to breathe fire on the fireplace, where Samus stopped him.

"I'll do it" she said, switching her arm cannon to the plasma beam. She then shot the fireplace once and a golden fire emitted from the wood. Samus then sat down and an awkward silence followed.

Unfortunately, as the night drew over and the animal cooked, the silence reigned. They didn't say anything for the two hours they waited, both feeling a little nervous. Meta Ridley finally broke the ice.

"So, ready to eat?"


	12. Chapter 12

Behind Cold Metal 

Chapter 12: The Rain

When Meta Ridley had chopped up the meat and made each one into a kebab before splitting the share 80-20 (Meta Ridley naturally ate a lot more than Samus).

"Well, here it is, our food for the night" he said. At that moment, he saw something he had never seen his entire life. Samus, who obviously couldn't eat with her helmet on, took it off. Meta Ridley suddenly felt his heart skip another beat as he laid his eyes on her face. He watched quite stunned as she tied her hair back.

"Uh...uuhh........" he grunted. Samus picked up on this and looked at him, with her usual frown.

"What?" she asked. Meta Ridley realized that he was almost gawking and snapped out of it.

"Er, nothing. Just...just passing...uh...gas?" he said quickly. Samus looked back down and started to eat. Meta Ridley quietly sighed and started to eat himself.

Another half a hour passed and the both had just finished their last kebab. The both were quite full and content.

"Ahh....why can't my Pirate chefs cook meals like this?" Meta Ridley said. "I ought to take over the kitchen"

"Yeah, that way, perhaps my food will taste better" Samus added. "I hate to say it, but you can cook"

"Really? That's nice to know" Meta Ridley said. The both felt curious still about each other's behaviour, but it was Samus who wanted to raise another question, this time about Ether.

"...You know...I don't understand why you haven't touched this planet, or raided its materials, seeming it's so close to your planet" she said. "Why haven't you come here yet?"

"...Well, even I have to get away sometimes. This is the closest planet that doesn't have any noisy inhabitants on it. I prefer to keep it this way. Plus, the food is good. My minions don't even know this planet exists. It's my secret abode" he said.

"I didn't know you had a soft spot for nature Meta Ridley" Samus said.

"Soft spot?" Meta Ridley asked. "I prefer to think of it as...as..." he added. But he couldn't think of a different word for it. In secret, he loved Ether as a planet. The forest and the clear sky was just so compelling to him, he didn't want it to get raided. He'd much rather every other planet gets destroyed first.

He was about to provide yet another haphazard explanation when a drop of water fell on him.

"Uh?" he said.

"Huh?" Samus said, reacting to Meta Ridley.

"I swear some water dropped on me just now..." he said. Then, a huge gust of wind blew and a torrent of rain begun to fall, wiping out the fire.

"Dammit!" Meta Ridley shouted. "Darn this stupid rain!" Samus sighed and put her helmet back on, but the rain made her feel uncomfortable. She found it extremely hard to go to sleep when she was wet. She took her helmet off again.

"Urgh...how are we going to sleep? This rain is so distracting..." she said. Meta Ridley could sleep in the rain by hiding under his wings, but he was bigger than Samus, and much more resistant. Plus, he was used to sleeping in the rain, for he spent some of his recon missions in the rain, forced to sleep in it.

He turned to Samus, whose head was getting quite wet. Slowly, he started to develop a feeling of guilt inside him. Plus, every time he looked at her face, he felt incredibly nervous and he felt a strange weight on his heart, like any normal person would.

"Oh...what do I do...should I?" he thought. Then, he made his decision. As Samus, looking rather unhappy, sat against a tree, Meta Ridley sat down right next to her and used his orange wing to shelter Samus beneath it, stopping the rain from reaching her.

"Is that better?" he asked.

"But...you'll get wet..." Samus said, looking at Meta Ridley, who was getting wetter and wetter.

"I'm used to it. Now go to sleep" he said. Samus rested against the tree to start with, but as she got more and more tired, she slumped more and more. Meta Ridley was about to fall asleep himself when he felt something against his dry leg. He looked down to see that Samus, with her helmet off, had fallen asleep against his leg. He was about to move, but he felt rather kind and breathed warm air on her, keeping her from getting cold.

Soon after, Meta Ridley also fell asleep, and the two stayed huddled beneath the tree through the stormy night.


	13. Chapter 13

Behind Cold Metal

Chapter 13: Back at the Tower

Meta Ridley was rather distraught. The following day they had returned from Ether and Meta Ridley was on his throne, slamming the armrest, cursing himself and asking himself a flurry of questions.

"Why am I feeling like this towards Samus!?!" he said to himself angrily. "She is my enemy! I can't treat her like this, it...it doesn't make any sense! But every time I look at her I feel as if she's someone good, I feel as if I should be fulfilling some sort of obligation to protect her, to make her happy......why do I feel like this!?! I can't feel like this!!! I'm Meta Ridley! I don't have any emotions! I'm the ruthless leader of the Space Pirates!! If I should be feeling anything towards Samus, it should be hate!!!" he said to himself. Then, he thought again.

"No...I don't want to feel hate like this...I've had enough...I...I need to talk to her" he said. "Perhaps tonight, I can go to her cell and...No, I can't do that. The security levels down there aren't as high as they are up here. I need to bring her up here somehow..." he thought. He began to brainstorm ideas, until he thought of something good.

"That's it!" he thought. "I'll invite her for some dinner, up here in my very own throne room!" he said. But then, he looked around. There was a bit of blood on the floors; all dried up from his past experiences of attacking Space Pirates for their incompetence. He then looked worriedly at the walls, were large axes, swords and other medieval weapons were hung. It wasn't what was hung up, but it was how they were hung, lazily and esque. There were crates of things he wanted delivered to his room, some unopened. Plus, there were a large arrangement of them on the balcony.

"...This place is a mess..." he thought. Then, he took a deep smell of the room. "It smells like crap as well. Samus would be put off by all of this. Guards!!!" he shouted. Two Space Pirates walked in.

"What is your command master?" they asked.

"Get the cleaning force to report here at once" he said.

Two minutes later, a team of twenty Space Pirates wearing white frocks walked inside. It looked rather funny, and Meta Ridley always had fun making fun of how they looked, but for once, he understood their importance.

"What are your orders master?" the one in the front asked.

"I want the whole lot of you to clean my room by the end of today! I want the ornaments hung up nicely on the walls, the crates cleared off the balcony, the blood washed up on the floor and that stagnant smell to be eliminated at once! If you stall, I'll cut your rations for the next week! Understood!?!" he yelled.

"Yes sir!" the group said. Instantly, they set off to work. Meta Ridley sat down and thought a little. He then clapped and called for two guards to come in.

"What do you need, my lord?" they asked. Meta Ridley turned to look at the one on the left.

"I want you to go down to Samus's cell and give her this message" he said. He picked up a hologram messenger and tossed it to the guard. The guard then scanned Meta Ridley and gave a thumbs up, indicating he could give his message.

"This is Meta Ridley speaking" he said. "Tonight, you shall dine with me in my throne room. There are pressing matters to discuss. Relay to the guard your wishes of what to eat and drink. I will not accept your absence, so be up in my throne room five hours sharp. A guard will come to pick you up. End transmission" he said. The cleaners didn't hear the message, but the two guards did.

"Dinner?" they asked.

"Her life is on the line" he said. The two guards fell for the excuse.

"I understand sir. I shall go down to her quarters now" the guard said. A salute later, the guard left. Meta Ridley turned to the other guard.

"You, call my tailor. Tell him to meet me in my armour room to take my measurements. I want a suit ready for me with a cravat by the time I have dinner. Failure to comply will result in death" he said.

"What's the suit for?" the guard asked.

"A dragon must look his best when discussing someone's life expectancy" he said.

"Very wise sir" the guard said. "I shall get the tailor. Where shall I send him?" the guard asked.

"To my armour room" Meta Ridley said. The guard saluted and left the room. Meta Ridley held his hands and thought for a second.

"...One more thing grunt" he said. The guard turned around.

"Your wishes?" he asked.

"Send the tailor's assistant to Samus's quarters to measure up. I want a black sequin dress made for her. I will grant her the luxury to dress and look nicely once more before she dies..."

"Of course sir"

The guard walked out of the room. Meta Ridley didn't want Samus to die, but he needed to put on a face for his men, to ensure his personal wishes would be fulfilled privately.


	14. Chapter 14

Behind Cold Metal

Chapter 14: Dinner with Meta Ridley Pt1

Samus had a surprise to see a friendly pair of Space Pirates turn up at her cell door an hour after she had her message from Meta Ridley.

"What do you guys want?" she asked.

"We're here to make sure that you look perfect for our lord Meta Ridley" they said.

"You guys are kind...what's going on?" she asked.

"Our lord wants you to be treated well before your dinner. If we do not comply, we die" they said.

"Ouch. Okay then, what happens?" she asked.

"We must take your measurements. Our lord requested you wear a black sequin dress for your dinner. You should be honoured; nobody of our ranks ever gets to have dinner with him. You're the first prisoner to do so, so you're setting a record here" they said.

Samus didn't really ask any further questions. She was bewildered to be so close to a Space Pirate without the intention of blowing its head off. She knew Meta Ridley was the reason for this strange behaviour, but she didn't complain. Besides, why complain about getting pampered? The Space Pirates thought she was going to die anyway.

It was about time for Samus to be heading for the throne room of Meta Ridley. She was devoid of any armour, her hair and face were done up nicely as she wanted and the black sequin dress fitted her perfectly. Meta Ridley was a lucky person, she thought, to have a range of Space Pirates, each with their own talent. They weren't all just a bunch of killing machines (although 98% of then were). The guard arrived to her cell.

"Samus Aran, Meta Ridley calls for your presence. Please follow me" he said. The guard was rather large and heavily armoured, but as she stepped out of the cell, she wasn't grabbed brusquely. She found it rather funny that Meta Ridley could make the Space Pirates do anything he wanted them to do, even treat his worst enemy nicely. The Space Pirates thought Meta Ridley was going to give her one last taste of freedom before depriving her of it all, but the story was different.

Samus was taken to the top floor, where a long, tall corridor led to a large door with two guards next to it. She walked up to it and the two guards (who stayed silent) opened the doors by slamming their feet against the floor. The doors opened and Samus stepped into the throne room.

The throne room was a rather large, circle shaped room, with weapons lined across the walls. At the other end of the room, there were two large red windows showing the metallic view of the Pirate Homeworld. There was a medium sized table set up in the middle of the room, not very far away from a flight of steps that elevated the second half of the room, where the throne was. But the throne was missing, and in its place was a large metal cylinder that stretched from the floor to the ceiling.

Samus seemed slightly confused until the cylinder started moving, when she realized it was a platform, with the throne on the top, lowering. Sat on the throne was Meta Ridley, but what surprised Samus was the suit. So much, she gave a small giggle as he lowered to the ground. I guess anyone would find it a funny sight, to see a destructive, killing machine dressed all dapper in a suit jacket, white shirt, all topped off with a black leather waistcoat and a cravat. It fitted him well, which was strange. The throne stopped and Meta Ridley stood up.

"Welcome Samus" he said. "Please be seated"


	15. Chapter 15

Behind Cold Metal

Chapter 15: Dinner with Meta Ridley Pt 2

Samus sat down and examined her surroundings before Meta Ridley sat down on the bigger chair on the other side of the table. They were only a few metres apart, and she could see that his plate was bigger than hers, but the wine glasses were the same size.

"How do you find your dress?" Meta Ridley asked.

"It's nice" she said. "I thought all Space Pirates were raiders"

"Oh, not really. When one becomes a Space Pirate, they swear a pledge of allegiance to me. The pledge includes having to have to do everything I tell them to do. They are all my puppets, and I control them in any way I please"

"I see" Samus said. Then, the Space Pirate waiter, dressed also in a suit (this is getting a little weird isn't it? Well, even Metroid must have it's moments of comedy) approached the table.

"Sir, can I check that these orders are right?" he asked. Meta Ridley took the order sheet and looked at it.

"...One steak for me, and the salmon for Samus...yes, these shall do" he said. "Is this correct Samus?" he asked. Samus gave a small nod.

"Send these orders to the kitchen. But first, give us half a hour to drink some wine" he said.

"What wine would you request, my lord?" the waiter asked.

"Crack open a cask of the hundred year old ale. What about you?" Meta Ridley asked, looking at Samus.

"What wines are there?" she asked. The Space Pirate was about to open his mouth, but Meta Ridley put his hand across it.

"If I were to offer our best wine, would you accept it?" he asked.

"...Yeah, I guess so?" she said, a little confused at Meta Ridley.

"The best wine we have, pronto" Meta Ridley said.

"Of course sir. One hundred year old ale and our best wine. I shall be back soon" he said. Then, at that point, the doors opened and the two guards Space Pirates walked in.

"Shall we drop the tables?" they asked.

"You may. Just remember, one hint at my business and the lot of you are dead" he said. The two Pirates looked scared. They nodded, gulped, walked back and a bunch of Space Pirates all wearing suits walked in and sat around the tables that had lowered from the roof.

"Why are they all here?" Samus asked.

"I find being alone quite awkward. I thought having other people dining around us would break the ice a little. They all know that they shouldn't intrude on our business, in fear for their lives" he explained. Meta Ridley then noticed Samus was giggling a little.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"It's...hee hee...it's just the sight of seeing sophisticated Space Pirates in suits...I find it funny...*giggle*..." she said.

"Like I said, they're not all a bunch of raiding oafs. Some of us here at the Pirate Homeworld have a sense of sophistication, such as myself. Unfortunately, that only counts for 2% of the population. The rest are a bunch of pillaging oafs who work for me as my taskforce. Besides, not drifting away from the point, I would like to talk" he said.

"You did say there was something pressing" Samus said.

"Did I?" Meta Ridley asked. I guess I was lying again. You know my image and all that. All these Space Pirates think you're going to die" he said. The two laughed a little before the waiter arrived again with a bottle of wine and a cask of ale. He silently poured the drinks and then left the bottles on the table before walking off. Samus felt the night was going to be weird? What did Meta Ridley want to talk about?


	16. Chapter 16

Behind Cold Metal

Chapter 16: Dinner with Meta Ridley Pt 3

The night started off and the dinner had been served. Samus and Meta Ridley had been talking lightly while drinking before the food arrived. Then, the real conversation started.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Samus asked. "Anything important?"

"Well, do you remember that time where you asked me why I was being...er...rather kind, for our situation?" he said. He was a slightly nervous, seeming Samus was looking prettier than usual. Meta Ridley felt a bit foolish, but he had to talk.

"Yeah, I remember that" she said.

"Well, I'll tell you a little about that, but on one condition"

"What would that be?"

"The condition is that you take this seriously"

"Okay"

"Heh, I guess there was pressing matters after all, eh?"

"You don't think enough. You should plan your actions a little more"

"Anyway..." Meta Ridley said. He suddenly became more nervous. He didn't really know what to say.

"Samus...I have...I...well, you see...I made this observation from the first day of your captivity, and I noticed something rather strange..." he said. He figured out what he wanted to say, but he then felt sad.

"What's strange?" she asked.

"Samus...why haven't you killed me yet?" he asked. Samus's face had a slight look of worry on it.

"Kill you?" she asked. Then she remembered the first day, when she was so angry, she wanted to kill him. But there was that small inkling in her mind that forced her to think otherwise. She had completely forgotten about that.

"Oh...I don't...I don't know really..." she said.

"Samus...I know you've never seen me like this before...and I've never seen you acting like this before either...well, towards me anyway. That's my observation. I've been trying to understand why we haven't been trying to cut each other's throats, even when we've been fully armed all this time. I'm fully armed now, but I don't feel any pressure to throw my arm over the table and shoot you...what do you think?" he asked. There was a lot to take in for Samus. She didn't really understand either.

"..."

"...Are you okay?"

"...*sniff*...

"Samus, what's wrong?"

Samus was trying her hardest not to cry. All the memories were coming back to her, of her parents dying. She felt bitter inside.

"You...killed my parents...you didn't care one bit...for me or my future...my family..." she said. Meta Ridley felt bad inside.

"Samus, I..." he said.

"Shut up...just shut up....." she said, her fist clenched against the table. Meta Ridley had a look of distraught worry on his face.

"...You...you're nothing but a murderous freak..." she said quietly. "I don't understand why I haven't killed you yet. For what you did....*sniff*...you should die...you heartless monster........*sniff*......."

Meta Ridley didn't know what to do. Samus was on the verge of breaking down in front of him. Perhaps bringing the Space Pirates to eat around him was a horrible idea. He needed to say something, and fast.


	17. Chapter 17

Behind Cold Metal

Chapter 17: Mentality Breakdown

Samus was holding back her tears, but the occasional one slipped out and slid down her face before dripping on the white cloth.

"Samus...please, stop crying...now is not the time..." Meta Ridley said.

"If you were me..." Samus said, looking up angrily. "...If you were me, you would not be able to control yourself...because of what you've done, I've spent my entire life killing without any purpose...I haven't got any friends or anything because of what I do, and what I do is kill so I can escape from my past...and it's all your fault...*sniff*..." she said, sobbing slightly. Meta Ridley felt hurt and needed to say something that would cheer Samus up.

"Samus...I'm...I'm sorry......" he said. He had never apologized before in his life, and this was a first for him. But it didn't work. Samus just looked away. Meta Ridley felt his heartbeat increasing faster and faster, until it just cracked. He felt something inside him click. He looked down, looked at his hands, then stood up.

"Everybody, leave this room now!!!" he shouted. Confusion was spread around the room and Samus looked up in fright.

"What?" she said. The room fell under confusion.

"Didn't anyone hear me???" Meta Ridley screamed. "Get out!!!!!!!! Get out of my throne room now!!!!!!!!!" he yelled. He then breathed fire all over the room, destroying all the ornaments. Everyone inside panicked and ran out of the room. A guard quickly escorted Samus out of the room and away from Meta Ridley, who had become manic and was firing missiles everywhere, breathing fire and tearing at the walls in a rage.

As the guards closed the doors hastily, one turned to Samus.

"I recommend you head back down to your cell. Meta Ridley has never broken down like this in his entire life of reigning. If you believe in your own safety, then leave" he said.

It took Meta Ridley half a hour to calm down. Throughout the entire time, Samus sat in her cell, cursing herself.

"What was I thinking?" she thought. "I didn't want to make him cry...I was just too lost in my anger to do anything..." she said. Then, she suddenly feared for her life. Speechless, she started to cry, huddled on her bed, still in her suit, crying the night away until she fell asleep through exhaustion.


	18. Chapter 18

Behind Cold Metal

Chapter 18: Meta Ridley's Disgust

The following morning came, and Meta Ridley was sitting on his throne, looking down to the floor. He hadn't caught a wink of sleep since he became enraged. He had locked himself within his throne room and didn't even allow the guards to come in and give him his breakfast. He was still in his suit, but in his rage, he ripped at it, so whatever he was wearing was tattered.

The throne room had been completely trashed. Tables tipped over, food on the floor, the walls bent and broken, the ornaments scattered and one of the windows behind him was smashed.

"...I'm such a fool..." he thought. "Samus is right. I deserve to die for what I do...and this is my reaction? To have a tantrum and completely destroy my own room? I have to make it up to her somehow...even if she is my enemy...I can't let anyone think of me as some sort of cry baby...Guard!" he shouted. The door half opened and a worried guard came in.

"Sir, I'm so glad you're okay!" he said with relief.

"Shut up. Get me Samus" he said.

"For what reasons my lord?" the guard asked. His question was met with a heated shot of lava from Meta Ridley's mouth, one he managed to clumsily dodge.

"Don't be so ludicrous as to question me, your master!" he shouted. "Just get me Samus at once!!!" The guard, almost hysterical, ran out of the room, in a hurry to leave Meta Ridley's sight.

Five minutes later and Samus entered the room, fully clothed in the Varia Suit, fully armed as well. But she wasn't wearing her helmet as usual. She felt she would be hiding if she wore it. The door closed behind her, and the two were in the room, alone.

"...What do you want?" she said, rather bitterly.

"...Samus...I have something to say..." he said. "...It concerns last night..." Samus remained silent and Meta Ridley gave a sigh.

"Samus...you're completely right" he said. "I deserve to die" Samus face changed rather quickly.

"No..." she said.

"Please, don't deny your wishes" Meta Ridley said. "I thought a lot overnight and I have realized that my behaviour yesterday was completely childish, and by far unacceptable. My minions would think I have let myself down, and I have let myself down..." he said. Samus started to walk closer to Meta Ridley.

"You haven't let yourself down..." she said.

"I have Samus...I have..." Meta Ridley said. "You have every right to kill me. I killed your parents because I was a fool. I am a monster. To think that such death meant nothing to me back then...I...I...I'm horrible. If you want to kill me, then go ahead, I won't stop you..." he said. Samus was only a few metres away from Meta Ridley now.

"Meta Ridley, stop talking like this...it doesn't suit you..." she said.

"But...But I let myself down..."

"Listen, I barely knew my parents. I was a baby when they died. It's only the information that drove me to exact revenge against you and the Space Pirates, so it's not as bad..."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'm trying to say that I accept your apology from last night" she said. Meta Ridley looked up sadly.

"...What?" he said. "...You forgive me?"

"I forgive you"

Meta Ridley still didn't seem satisfied.

"...I still feel that I haven't completely gotten last night off my chest..." he said. "...So to make it up to you, I will re-accommodate you to a better cell. In fact, you will no longer be in a cell, but in a room, with a proper bed and bathroom" he said.

"Meta Ridley, you don't have to do this..." Samus said.

"Nothing you say will change my decision. You can move in half an hour. It's on the seventh floor" he said.

"Are you sure?" Samus asked.

"I am. There will be another recon mission later on today, if you want to come along" Meta Ridley said.

"I'd be glad to" Samus said.

"Then you may go. Thank you for your time...and for forgiving me" he said.

"No...you don't have to thank me. I should be thanking you for not killing me while you have the chance..." she said. Then, Samus walked out of the room and left Meta Ridley by himself. Meta Ridley thought for a second.

"I can't believe I'm feeling a sort of affection for her..."


	19. Chapter 19

Behind Cold Metal

Chapter 19: Going Back to Ether

Meta Ridley's ship landed on Ether yet again and the two came out, strangely enough, side by side instead of one in front and one at back.

"So, what are we going to do today?" Meta Ridley asked.

"I don't know, you brought us here. What did you have in mind?" Samus asked.

"Well, we could stay another night here. Perhaps this time we'll spend the time building a small shelter to house us from the rain" he said.

"That sounds nice. Perhaps you can find one of those animals again. That last one we had tasted great"

"I know! I told you it tasted like food from heaven" Meta Ridley said. "Come on, let's go, or we won't have time to do all the things we've just planned. In fact, we might have to fly" he said. "Hop on" Samus hesitated slightly.

"...What's wrong?" Meta Ridley asked.

"I...it just feels a little weird...riding my worst enemy...after all the things that have happened between us..." she said.

"When we're high in the air, you'll forget all about that" Meta Ridley said. Come on, it'll be fun" Samus gave in to temptation and jumped onto Meta Ridley's back.

"Ready to go?" Meta Ridley said. Then, after Samus got a good hold, Meta Ridley lifted himself higher and higher into the air before taking flight.

It was one of the most bewildering things Samus had ever done. The feel of the wind blowing against her and the speed she was going at was exhilarating. Plus, they were so high, she could see everything, the mountains, the forests and the large sea of Ether that she had never seen before.

"I never knew they had a sea on this planet!" Samus shouted to Meta Ridley.

"I know! That's where we are going. The forests nearby are beautiful. Plus, the beach isn't bad either!" he said. Meta Ridley then changed direction in his flight and flew down to the edge of the forest near the beach, where the river met its end.


	20. Chapter 20

Behind Cold Metal

Chapter 20: Discovering Unknown Emotions

The night fell over and the two had built a suitable shelter and a warm fire in which to warm up by. Samus had taken her Varia Suit off completely and was wearing her Zero Suit. Meta Ridley just wore what he usually did, nothing except a metal suit of armour with plenty of weapons.

Meta Ridley was aware of the emotions that were bubbling inside of him, and as he watched Samus wash herself in the river, he felt more and more nervous.

"...I have to tell her sometime..." he said. "...But I feel way too nervous...not even going into a life threatening battle is as bad as this! Oh...she's getting out...okay Ridley, calm yourself...you can do this...you can do this!" he thought to himself. Samus walked back into the shelter and sat opposite Meta Ridley.

"Ahh...that was refreshing...I haven't had a bath in ages" she said.

"I've never bathed" Meta Ridley said. The two started to laugh, then Meta Ridley found his hammer to break the ice.

"...Um...Samus, there's been something I wanted to ask you..." he said.

"What's that Meta Ridley?"

"Have you ever...been...er...romantically involved with someone before?" he asked.

"Well, I can't remember if I've ever been out with someone before. Perhaps I've had my crushes here and there, but apart from that, not really. Why'd you ask?" she asked. Meta Ridley took a deep breath, trying his best to calm his nerves.

"...Neither have I...did you know that?" he said.

"Well, I can imagine why..." she said, before laughing softly. Meta Ridley nervously giggled before clearing his throat.

"No, but seriously, there is something I've been meaning to tell you...well...ever since I first captured you..." he said. Samus had a look of interest on her face.

"...What are you trying to say?" she asked.

"Samus...I...before I captured you, I thought of you as some sort of Galactic Federation pest that I wanted to kill so badly...but that was until I captured you. Over the course of these past few weeks, I have hesitated to kill you...because...I...I...." he said. He was struggling to say it. He felt like he was going to have a heart attack. But Samus suddenly worked it out, and with shock. She didn't see it coming.

"...Meta Ridley...are...are you trying to say....that...you're in....love....with me?" she said quietly. Meta Ridley sighed and held his head.

"Oh...I knew you'd figure it out someday...I feel like a fool...that such a powerful being such as myself could have such feelings...after all I've done..." he said. Samus gave a small smile and stroked Meta Ridley's bottom jaw.

"...I think that's so sweet of you..." she said. Meta Ridley became extremely hot inside. Nobody had dared touch him there before.

"Samus...I...er...I..." he said, stammering badly. Then, Samus grabbed both of his jaws and clamped them shut.

"Don't say anymore" she said. "Answer only when I tell you to. Do you love me?" she asked. She then let go of Meta Ridley's mouth.

"..............Yes" he said. "...Don't hate me..." Samus giggled a little and hopped onto Meta Ridley's lap, looking up into his eyes.

"Hey, I don't hate you!" she said. "What you think of me doesn't change my opinion of you. I think, for a dragon, you're quite handsome" she said.

"...Huh?" Then, Samus huddled next to Meta Ridley's chest and closed her eyes.

"Sing me a lullaby" she said.

"But I can't sing" Meta Ridley answered.

"Of course you can. You have vocal chords, just use them to make notes. Sing me something good" she said. Meta Ridley thought of something, then, slowly, he took her hand and started to sing a small tune.

_I've got a fire in my heart for you,_

_I've got a fire in my heart for you,_

_I've got a fire in my heart,_

_Thought I'm falling apart,_

_Still I've got a fire in my heart for you._

Samus had fallen fast asleep after that. Meta Ridley didn't know he could sing that well. But he became tired. Soon, he too did fall asleep, finally happy to know that Samus didn't reject him, nor his love for her. He couldn't wait to see what tomorrow brought.


	21. Final Chapter

Behind Cold Metal

Chapter 21: Sudden Attack

Samus was sleeping comfortably in her new room (which was like a hotel room unlike the cells she was in. She wasn't forced to wake up as early as she used to and she felt completely comfortable inside, as if it were five star accommodations. She had been in the room for a week, lightly talking with Meta Ridley from time to time, but neither brought up the topic of what happened on Ether.

But Samus continued to think about him. She continued to think about his feelings. She was still trying to comprehend it, and she was also trying to control these crazy new feelings she suddenly had for him.

She was lying on her bed when it happened.

An alarm sounded and the room started to flash red. A loudspeaker started to sound.

"Red alert! Red alert!" it shouted. Samus jumped up, and then fell down as a huge quake erupted through the room.

"What the hell is going on???" Samus yelled to herself. Quickly, she got into her Varia Suit and ran to Meta Ridley's throne room, following her instinct.

As she ran into the room, she could see from the windows behind the throne that numerous ships were in the air. Large lasers were falling from the skies and demolishing everything in its path, and many small pods that looked like escape pods and ships were trying to escape, with many failing. Samus wanted an explanation.

"Meta Ridley, what's happening?" she asked. Meta Ridley was sitting on his throne, looking rather sad.

"The Galactic Federation has launched a huge attack" he said. "Their battle ships line the skies and beams of death fall upon us. We have tried, but most of our shielding is gone and our defense systems have been scrambled by the storm outside. We are defenceless, and we must escape" he said.

"Escape??? But this is your castle! Aren't you going to defend it?" she asked.

"Their numbers outmatch ours by far. Within half an hour, we expect for 79% of the planet to be occupied by Galactic Federation rats" he said. "I have ordered all remaining units to escape to our stealth base, very, very far away from here. We must escape with as many people as possible, for the future of the Space Pirates, my people, are at stake" he said.

"But what about you???" Samus asked. Meta Ridley looked down and sighed.

"...Stand next to my throne..." he said. Samus looked at him in confusion, but the door suddenly moved behind them. People were trying to break in.

"Damn...they've already reached me" he said. "Come to me, now!!!" Samus nodded and ran next to the throne. Suddenly, the platform the throne was on lifted and a hole opened up above them in the ceiling. Just as they became swallowed, Galactic Federation troops broke into the throne room, to see that Meta Ridley and Samus had vanished. The platform came to a stop and the roof of the tower, where a light rain fell on both Samus and Meta Ridley. It was a large circular platform, and in the middle was a pod, halfway in the ground. It was an escape pod.

"Where are we?" Samus asked.

"We are at the roof of my castle" he said. "I have to escape"

"But what about me?" Samus asked. She didn't want it all to end like this. The two walked up to the pod and Meta Ridley sighed.

"Samus...I'm sorry...but there's only space for me in that pod. I built it for a one man escape..." he said. Samus started to well up inside.

"But...you might die..." she said.

"You needn't worry about me. This pos is made from the strongest metals in the cosmos. It cannot be destroyed by any beam the Galactic Federation might have" he said. "But...if I escape, then we must bid farewell to each other..."

Samus heart almost broke upon hearing that.

"Meta Ridley...no...it can't end like this...it can't!" she said, desperate. Meta Ridley looked down. Samus swore she saw a tear fall out of his eye.

"Samus...if I could stay here and protect you...I would gladly sacrifice my body to do so...But I have to leave...my minions...no, friends....they all need me. What is a Space Pirate colony without a leader?" he said. "I'm afraid...this is goodbye"

Samus's heart broke. She took her helmet off, unable to control her tears. She then ran into Meta Ridley's arms and the two embraced each other. Meta Ridley was trying hard not to cry, but Samus was heartbroken.

"Oh...why does it have to be this way...why..." she said, crying.

"Samus...I'm so very sorry for everything I've done..." Meta Ridley said. "...This is all my fault. I caused this mess. The only reason we'e under attack is because they're looking for you...and I was the one who captured you. It was never meant to be...I'm sorry" he said. Samus then held Meta Ridley's arms and looked up into his eyes. Meta Ridley, with a depressed look on his face, shielded them from the rain with his wings.

"...Meta Ridley...I'll never forget you..." she said. "When I first saw you, I hated you. Now...I don't hate you one bit. I love you...." she said.

"Samus..." Meta Ridley replied, holding her shoulders. "A twisted, repulsive thing like me? You can't..." he said.

"You're not twisted...nor repulsive...you're a gentleman...and...you're a true leader...and if we had more time together, then I would have told you then...but now I'll never see you again..." she said. Meta Ridley laughed a little.

"No, that's not true" he said. "We'll be sure to meet again sometime in the future. I might be under a stealth shield on my new base, but I won't stay there all the time. You know, I will still be taking trips to Ether. You and me are the only two people who know it exists" he said. Samus smiled, holding back her tears.

"You're so funny..." she said, taking a deep breath. Then, another ripping quake thundered through the castle.

"Well...for now...this is farewell" Samus said, letting go.

"...Samus...you do know that I love you, don't you?" Meta Ridley said.

"I do....you sung to me..." she said. Meta Ridley remembered that time. Then, Meta Ridley pressed a button on his pod and the door opened before he stuffed himself in. It was sadly true; Samus would have never been able to fit in the pod with Meta Ridley, even if she used the Morph Ball. The hatch then closed and Samus put a hand against the window pane. As smoke billowed from under the pod, Samus kissed the window pane where Meta Ridley's mouth was before taking a few steps back. The pos begun to rise into the air, quickening in it's ascent to the heavens before it vanished in the clouds.

This is the end of the story. Samus would never forget this time. She visited Ether, but didn't see Meta Ridley there. Meta Ridley did the same, but there just wasn't going to be a coincidence happening. But the two trusted each other, and if Samus was forced to save the universe from the Space Pirates again, she would think twice before trashing Meta Ridley.

Well, there we go. The end of this story. After this, I'm not sure how long it will be until my next story seeming my ideas have run rather dry, so cherish what's around. But I will promise more of my writing in the future, in any genre, so keep your eyes peeled!


End file.
